Electrical guessing game



Aug. 1, 1961 4 T. A. EBERWEIN 2,994,531

ELECTRICAL GUESSING GAME Filed June 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. THOMA .S A. E SE RWE //V BY file/2140 A TTORWEY 1961 T. AQEBERWEIN 2,994,531

ELECTRICAL GUESSING GAME Filed June 17, 1959 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR. THOMAS A. EBE/PWE/N United States Patent 2,994,531 ELECTRICAL GUESSING GAME Thomas A. Eberwein, 1804 Pine St., Pueblo, Colo. Filed June 17, 1959, Ser. No. 821,047 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-1) This invention relates to an electrical guessing game which is useful for entertaining children and also for teaching them simple arithmetic and to recognize numbers and other designations which may be applied to depressible keys which are part of the construction.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the game mechanism is encased in two separate, portable housings which permit the players to be seated at a distance from each other so that the actions of the players may be concealed from eachother. However, the mechanism may be arranged on a single base provided with means whereby the actions of the players may be concealed from each other.

The operative parts of the game mechanism encased in separate housings are electrically connected together by wiring in a cable extending from one housing to the other. The wiring may be of any desired length. Each housing has mounted thereon a series of depressible keys, each series bearing numerical designations or other symbols. In the present embodiment the-two sets of-keys bear the designations 1 to 9 inclusive and 0. Batteries, preferably two, are mounted in one of the housings and a bell in the other. Each housing has mounted therein an electric lamp which illuminates a window in the housing.

The keys which bear identical designations on the'two housings are electrically connected so that when one key is depressed and held down, and the correspondingly marked key on the other housing is depressed, the bell rings, thereby indicating that the guessing player has won the play by guessing the right number. If the guessing player depresses a key other than the one which is being held down by the first player, the lamp on each housing flashes and thereby indicates a miss." The rules of the game may be varied to provide any desired number of misses by the guessing player to qualify the other player as the winner.

The game aids young childrento recognize numbers and other symbols which may be depicted on the keys, and serves to entertain them. The keys of one housing may be marked with numbers as shown herein, while the keys of the other housing may be marked with numbers which are double or triple those of thefirst mentioned housing, to thereby teach young children to multiply by 2 or 3 or other numbers. The designation mentioned are merely illustrative of various arrangements of numbers, pictures and the like which may be applied to the keys. I

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the drawings and following description.

In the drawings: i i

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodi-; ment of my electrical guessing game. v

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the in the construction.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, for clarity showing only two of the ten depressible keys which are part of the structure.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuits which connect the conductor plates, the stationary contacts, the batteries, bell and lamps in the two housings, showing the conductor plates in plan views. I

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in perspective, of one of the'keys and adjacent housing construction.

housings used FIG. 6 is an elevational end view of the batteries, showing also the brackets whereby the batteries are mounted on the insulated base plate, and wiring connection between the batteries.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the guessing game comprises separate portable housings 10, 11, each provided with ten depressible keys. The keys of the housing 10 are indicated at 12 and the keys of the housing 11 at 13. Preferably each housing has a flat top 14, provided with a window 15, an inclined top portion 16, vertical walls 17, and base 18, the housing Walls being made of metal. A metal plate 19, parallel to the inclined top portion 16, is mounted in the housing in spaced relation to the top 16 by a side wall 20 connected to a portion of the housing.

The keys 12 and 13 are alike in construction and only one need be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, each key is rigidly connected to a shank 21 rectangular in cross section, extending through correspondingly shaped openings in the wall 16 and plate 19. The shank 21'is provided with laterally projecting arms 22 located adjacent to and beneath the wall 16. A coiled spring 23 surrounds the shank and bears at one end against the arms 22 and at the other end against the plate 19, thus urging the key and shank upwardly and returning the key to raised position after it has been manually depressed. The rectangular form of the shank 21 prevents turning of the shank and key and thereby maintains the numerical or other designation in intended position for easy reading.

A plate 24 of insulating material is located beneath the metal plate 19, parallel to and spaced from said plate.

- beneath the lower end of a key shank 21.

Any suitable fastening means, such as bolts 25 extending through tubular spacers 26, may be used mounting the plate 24 in the housing. A plurality of stationary contact members 27, equal in number to the number of keys, extend through the plate 24, each contact member 27 having an upper curved contact face located axially A spring metal conductor plate 28 is located above the plate 24 and is connected thereto in its central portion by rivets 29 as shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of spring contact arms 30, equal in number to the number of contact members 27, extend radially and slightly upwardly from the central portion of the plate 28 so that each arm is spaced /16" from the lower end of a shank 21 and an equal distance from the upper curved contact face of a contact member 27. The arms 30 are spaced circumferentially of the plate 28 so that the outer free end of each arm 30 is lo cated in the path of movement in an axial direction of a shank 21 and is depressed by the shank when the key 12 or 13) attached thereto is depressed. Manual depression of a key thus causes the lower end of the shank 21 to bear against a spring arm 30 and to move said arm downwardly into contact with a contact member 27.

In one of the two housings, in this embodiment in the housing 10, two batteries 31 are removably mounted between spring metal brackets 32 mounted on an insulating plate 33 connected to the metal base 18 as best shown in FIG. 6. The batteries are electrically connected together by wire 34 soldered to the brackets 32 in which the batteries are mounted. A bell 35 is located in this case in the housing :11. An electric lamp 36 has its socket mounted in the depending portion of an angle plate 37,

- attached to the top of each housing in such position that i the lamp 36 is located beneath its window 15.

to its casing as indicated at 41. The batteries 31 are l connected at one side by wire 42 to the spring metal conductor plate 28 in housing 10, and at the other side by wire 43 to the bell 3-5 in housing 11 and by wire 44 from the bell to the conductor plate 28in housing 1 1.

' As has been explained, each key when depressed forces its shank 21 downwardly into contact with one of the arms 30 of one of the two plates 28, and forces the arm 30 into contact with one of the stationary contact members 27. Each contact member 27 in housing 10 is connected to a contact member 27 in housing 11, the connected contact members of a pair being associated with correspondingly designated keys mounted in the two housings. In FIG. 4, the spring metal contact arms 30 of the plates 28 have been designated by encircled numbers, 1 to 9 inclusive and 0, to indicate that said arms 30 are actuated by correspondingly designated keys.

Thus the contact member 27 which is located in alignment with the axis of the shank of key No. 1 of housing 10 is connected by wire 45 to the contact member 27 which is located in alignment with the axis of the shank of key No. 1 of housing 11. Wire 46 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 2 keys of the two housings; Wire 47 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 3 keys of the respective housings; wire 48 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 4 keys; Wire 49 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 5 keys; Wire 50 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 6 keys; wire 51 connects contacts 27 associated with the pair of No. 7 keys; wire 52 connects contacts 27 associated with the No. 8 keys; wire 53 connects contacts 27 associated with the two No. 9 keys; and wire 54 connects contacts 27 associated with the keys designated 0.

The wires 40, 43, and 45 to 54, inclusive, which extend from one housing to the other, are insulated from each other and arranged in a cable 55 as shown in. FIG. 1. The cable may be of any desired length to permit the housings 10, 11 to be held by players at a distance from each other.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: When i a player holding housing 10 depresses a key, No. 5 for example, and holds it down, and the guessing player manipulating housing 11 depresses the correspondingly num bered key, a complete circuit is established including batteries 31, wire 42, plate 28 of housing 10, contact 27 associated with key No. 5 of housing 10, wire 49, contact 27 associated with key No. 5 of housing 11, plate 28 of housing 11, wire 44 to bell 35, and wire 43 to batteries 31. Thus the bell rings when the right combination of keys is depressed. In the event the guessing player depresses a key other than No. 5, the electrical current passes from contact 27 associated with key No. 5 of housing 10 to ground 56 through the metallic casing Walls and to the grounded lamps 36 of both housings. For clarity, the grounding at 56 of the stationary contacts 27 has been indicated in respect to only one contact in each of the two housings in the diagrammatic view FIG- 4, but it will be understood that this grounding tothe housings occurs with respect to each of the contacts 27 through spring arms 30 and key shanks 21.

The mounting of the parts in their respective metal housings and the wiring connections described are such that when the right combination of keys is depressed, the electrical current will follow the path of least resistance from the batteries to the staionary contact associated with a depressed key to the corresponding contact associated with the other depressed key in the other housing, thus furnishing power to ring the bell. When the Wrong combination of keys is depressed, the electrical current passes through ground to the lamps, depriving the bell of power sutficient to cause it to ring.

Changes may be made in the form, location and. arrangement of parts without departing from the scope'ofthe invention asdefined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical guessing game which can be held in the hands of players, comprising a pair of separate portable housings each having top, bottom and side walls including electrically conductive material, a plurality of depressible keys located externally of each housing, each key having a metal shank extending slidably through the top of the housing, a plurality of stationary electrical contacts insulated from each other mounted in each housing in spaced relation to the key shanks, a conductor plate having spring metal contact arms located between the stationary contacts and the key shanks, each contact arm being movable by a key shank when depressed into contact with a stationary contact, a bell in one of the housings, a battery in one of the housings, wiring electrically connecting the battery and the bell and said conductor plates, wiring connecting each of the stationary contacts in one housing with a stationary contact in the other housing and forming a complete circuit including the battery and bell when a predetermined pair of keys is depressed into contact with the conductor plate arms, a lamp in each housing grounded to the housing and a wire connecting the two lamps forming a complete lamp circuit including the stationary contacts, conductor plates, key shanks and housings when two keys other than a predetermined pair of keys are depressed.

2. An electrical guessing game which can be held in the hands of players, comprising a pair of separate portable housings each having a top, bottom and side walls including electrically conductive material, a plurality of depressible keys located externally of each housing, ear. key having a metal shank extending slidably through the top of the housing, a plate of insulating material mounted in the housing, a plurality of stationary electrical contacts mounted in the plate in an annular row in spaced relation to the key shanks, a conductor plate having radially extending spring metal cont-act arms located between the stationary contacts and the key shanks, each contact arm being movable by a key shank when depressed into contact with a stationary contact, a bell in one of the housings, a battery in one of the housings, wiring electrically connecting the battery and the bell i and said conductor plates, wiring connecting each of the stationary contacts in one housing with a stationary contact in the other housing and forming a complete circuit including the battery and bell when a predetermined pair of keys is depressed into contact with the conductor plate arms, a lamp in each housing grounded to the housing and a wire connecting the two lamps forming a complete lamp circuit including the stationary contacts, conductor plates, key shanks and housings when two keys other than a predetermined pair of keys are depressed.

3. An electrical guessing game comprising a pair of housings each having top, bottom and side walls including conductive material, a plurality of depressible keys located externally of each housing, each key having a metal shank extending slidably through the top of thehousing, a plurality of stationary electrical contacts insulated from each other mounted in each housing in spaced relation to the key shanks, a conductor plate having spring metal contact arms located between the stationary contacts and the key shanks, each contact arm being movable by a key shank when depressed into contact with a stationary contact, a bell in one of the housings, a battery in one of the housings, wiring electrically connecting the battery and the bell and saidconductor plates, a wiring connecting each of the stationary contacts in onehousing with a stationary contact in the other housing and forming a complete circuit including the battery and bell when a predetermined pairof keys isdepressedfinto contact with the conductor plate arms, whereby the bell is caused to ring when the right com bination of keys is depressed, a lamp in each housing grounded to the housing and a wire connecting the two lamps forming a complete lamp circuit including the stationary contacts, conductor plates, key shanks and housings when two keys other than a predetermined pair of keys are depressed, whereby the lamps will burn and the bell is deprived of suflicient power to ring when an incorrect combination of keys has been depressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Myers May 25, 1948 Lyons July 16, 1957 French July 22, 1958 Giannotti Sept. 22, 1959 

